Jacob Young

Norwegian guitarist Jacob Young approaches improvisation with a lyrical nuance that infuses his recorded work with a deeply poetic and harmonically expansive vision of modern creative jazz. Early exposure to Jim Hall and John Abercrombie shaped his voice, and he first drew notice in the mid-’90s through his work alongside vocalist Karin Krog. Among the recordings that followed were the 2004 album Evening Falls, the 2008 release Sideways, and 2018’s Last Things, a collaboration with vocalist Siril M. Hauge.

Young entered the world in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1970. An American father sparked his interest in jazz, prompting the twelve-year-old to teach himself guitar. He later pursued formal studies at the University of Oslo before earning a scholarship to the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. There, immersion in the jazz repertoire opened pathways to harmonic improvisation; legendary guitarist Jim Hall served as his principal mentor, shaping Young’s tone through both private lessons and ensemble classes. Additional private study came from John Abercrombie, a longtime ECM mainstay. Young also explored jazz composition under pianists Richie Beierach and Kenny Werner, graduating in 1993. He remained in the city to freelance and apprentice with Rashied Ali, Marc Copeland, Junior Mance, Larry Goldings, and Arnie Lawrence.

Eventually returning to Norway, he cut three albums for domestic labels alongside Nils Petter Molvaer, Trygve Seim, Arve Henricksen, and Jarle Vespestad. While performing in Seim’s group, he caught the ear of Norwegian vocalist Karin Krog. Their duet album Where Flamingoes Fly appeared on the Grappa label under John Surman’s production and led to a world tour. ECM impresario Manfred Eicher, having heard Young with Seim’s ensemble, offered a recording contract. The guitarist’s ECM debut, Evening Falls, presented his own compositions performed by a band spanning three generations of Norwegian musicians: veteran drummer Jon Christensen, whose ECM tenure dates to the 1970s; trumpeter Mathias Eick; bass clarinetist and saxophonist Vidar Johansen; and bassist Mats Eilertsen.

Young also served as guitarist for the experimental jazz-rock-electronics collective Interstatic, appearing on their self-titled 2007 debut. His own Sideways followed in 2008 with the same ensemble heard on Evening Falls. In 2009 he joined drummer Manu Katché’s band for the sessions that became Third Round, released in 2010. The next three years found him performing across Europe both as a leader and as a sideman. He returned to an Oslo studio in 2013 with saxophonist Trygve Seim and Marcin Wasilewski’s trio to record Forever Young, issued in summer 2014. A 2017 Nordic Circles project, Under the Clouds, united him with pianist Lars Jansson and vocalist Siril M. Hauge; the following year he reunited with Hauge for Last Things. In 2019 the trio album Rathkes Gate 12:21:58 documented a collaboration with saxophonist Bendik Hofseth and drummer Paolo Vinaccia.